Paia Bay Coffee Bar is located, as its very name hints, on the shores of Paia Bay in Paia, Hawaii. This is a popular tourist town in Maui and the Paia Bay Coffee is the perfect place for both island vacationers and residents to get a start on the day before enjoying all this part of Maui has to offer.
You will find the Paia Bay Coffee Bar at a pretty busy intersection in the village’s downtown area. This hip breakfast spot is located just off of the intersection of Hana Highway and Baldwin Avenue, where many of the community’s popular shops and dining establishments are. The upside of this is that if you get your coffee to go, you can enjoy meandering quite a few excellent shops while sipping on a delicious brew.
The downside of this bustling location is that parking can be tricky. The town of Paia has a public parking lot that is just a couple of blocks down, but that can be a hit or miss in terms of availability on busy weekends and even weekday mornings. You can use street parking, or you might have to park further down at one of the community’s parks.
While some coffee shops are popular pretty much only because they have a good location, that isn’t true for this Paia cafe. The Paia Bay Coffee Bar has several things going for it that make it a popular spot. Think atmosphere, delicious drinks, and fresh seafood menu items.
Let’s talk about that atmosphere first. The Paia Bay Coffee Bar is located just off of that popular intersection, not directly on it, facing the busy streets. Instead, to get here you walk past a couple of shops and enjoy a quiet location tucked away. Or at least quiet in terms of road and crowd noises. Entering into (or out?) this open-air coffee bar feels like walking into a tropical jungle oasis. Light fabrics overhanging the inner court block the harshest of rays but still let in plenty of natural light while lush plants line the entirety of the courtyard that serves as the main dining area for guests. There’s also a small stage here where local musicians often set up and further transform the setting.
As the last half of this cafe’s spot name suggests, you will find plenty of great coffee drinks here. For something simple, opt for the light but satisfying house blend or the Vitalitea Nitro Cold Brew. Those who prefer espresso drinks will have plenty of great options. The Paia Bay Coffee Bar serves, of course, all of your standard espresso drinks along with their personalized espresso menu. Specialty express drinks offered by the group include a very popular Vegan Caramel Coconut Macnut Milk Latte and a sweet-tooth lover’s Lavender Latte.
That vegan latte goes well-paired with a vegan bagel on the cafe’s breakfast menu. But what the Paia Bay Coffee Bar is probably best known for, at least menu-wise, is its great seafood options, both for breakfast and lunch. Think Eggs Breakfast With Smoked Salmon, Baja Fish Street Tacos, and fresh plates of sashimi.
Insider Tips:
-This is a great coffee bar to go and hang out with family and friends, or to simply sit and enjoy the ambiance, but it is not a good choice for the tech-oriented. That’s because, due to the mostly outdoor courtyard set-up, you are not going to find any outlets to charge your devices. So if you are looking for a cafe to do some remote work or other online tasks, you will want to pass on the Paia Bay Coffee Bar.
-Do not go expecting fast service or a cheap bill. This is one of those places that prides itself on making quality items with care — and most of those dishes and drinks are made with premium (and often local) ingredients that are going to cost a bit more.